Pak terrorists being trained in underwater strike capabilities

NEW DELHI: The ministry of home affairs informed the parliament on Wednesday that Pakistan based terror groups are training their cadres for underwater strike capabilities and exhort them for ‘Samundari Jehad (seaborne Jehad) so that they can infiltrate into India by sea or waterways to carry out attacks. The MHA reply in parliament comes few days after Intelligence Bureau informed the police agencies and the government that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) are imparting specialized underwater training to their cadres. IB officials said another term that can be given to this is “water Jehad” against India by sending terrorists from Karachi or other regions to Mumbai or Gujarat and other places. The ten terrorists including Ajmal Kasab in 26/11 Mumbai attacks had also come by the sea. Union minister Hansraj Ahir, while replying to a written question in Rajya Sabha, said as per available information, there is no specific input about any terrorist group planning a 26/11 type Mumbai terror attack on ports, cargo ships and oil tankers in the high seas. “However, available inputs indicate that Pakistan-based terrorist groups continue to train their cadres for underwater strike capabilities in a bid to infiltrate them into India by sea/water ways,” the Union Minister of State for Home said. Ahir also said that “as per available inputs, the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation had exhorted its cadres for 'Samundari Jihad' against India”.

The MHA has lately asked the agencies to focus on coastal security and port security as terrorist groups and Pakistan’s spy agency ISI may anytime carry attacks there. The Samundari Jehad alert is being taken seriously particularly as India is set to celebrate the Republic Day.